Affairs of Statehood

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“The creation of a new state is neither ridiculous nor impossible.” This was the judgment of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, in his book The Jewish State. The stirring vision that it encapsulates applies also, 115 years later, to Palestinian national claims, on which the United Nations General Assembly will vote this week. But while the cause of Palestinian statehood is just, pursuing it by a resolution at the UN is self-defeating. Lasting peace cannot simply be declared by fiat. It needs to be created through hard work in direct negotiations between the contending parties.